The invention relates generally to welding systems and, more particularly, to handheld wire advancement devices that feed filler wire to a welding operation.
Welding is a process that has become ubiquitous in various industries for a variety of types of applications. For example, welding is often performed in applications such as shipbuilding, repair work, construction, and so forth. To facilitate such welding processes, welding systems generally include an electrode configured to pass an arc between a torch and a work piece, thereby heating the work piece to create a weld. In many systems, such as metal inert gas (MIG) welding and stick welding systems, the electrode is a consumable wire that melts into the weld to provide a filler material into the weld. In contrast, other systems, such as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding systems, employ a non-consumable tungsten electrode that is independent from the filler material. That is, the TIG welding process does not melt the tungsten electrode into the weld forming on the work piece, and, therefore, in TIG welding operations, a filler wire is typically advanced into the weld pool with a free hand of the welding operator.
Unfortunately, the filler wire is often difficult for the welding operator to manipulate with a single hand because the welding operator must expose additional filler material to the weld as the filler material is melted. Additionally, the TIG welding process often requires the operator to feed the filler wire forward and pull the filler wire backward throughout the process to obtain the desired quantity and placement of the filler material. Still further, the piece of filler wire that the welding operator must hold and manipulate may be, for example, approximately 36 inches in length, thus contributing to the difficulty of manipulating the wire with a single hand during the welding process. Accordingly, there exists a need for improved filler wire feeding methods and system that address these drawbacks.